Issued in time for Christmas 2026, this stamp features a richly symbolic depiction of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child painted around the year 1500. Distinctive for its large central figure of Mary in red garments and an array of background details, the painting is in the collection of the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Now known by the modern title The Virgin and Child Enthroned, this painting bears a close resemblance to other works in collections in Europe and the United States. Art historians who have compared the various paintings have concluded that this version was created either in Brussels or in Bruges — cities in modern-day Belgium — in the 1480s or the early 1500s and shows the influence of Rogier van der Weyden, one of the most successful Netherlandish painters of his day.

Because the foliage is painted in a manner that resembles embroidery, art historians in the 1920s attributed this painting to an unnamed artist known only as “The Master of the Embroidered Foliage.” Scholars now believe that the painting was created in a workshop by several artists and assistants, as was common practice at the time.

This stamp continues a tradition of U.S. stamps featuring Madonna and Child paintings that began in 1966, four years after the debut of the first Christmas stamp. Madonna and Child stamps were issued nearly every year until 2009, with occasional departures to show other traditional Christmas imagery such as angels or Nativity scenes.

Since 2011, the Postal Service has issued a new Madonna and Child stamp approximately every two years. Offering the public the option of traditional imagery alongside more contemporary holiday designs, these stamps usually highlight fine art from the collections of museums in the United States. Each new issuance continues a long-standing U.S. stamp tradition while honoring the art and culture that mark the celebration of Christmas.

Collect all six issuances from the 2026 World Expo